Directorial Debut of Disney Veteran Andreas Deja - "Mushka"
23rd October 2023
About this event
Join us for an enchanting evening of animation and storytelling as we celebrate the directorial debut of Disney legend, Andreas Deja, with his captivating film "Mushka." Presented by London ACM SIGGRAPH, this event promises to be a memorable experience for animation enthusiasts, film aficionados, and Disney fans alike.
Event Details:
Date: Monday, October 23rd
Time: Arrive 6.30. The presentation will start at 7pm and screening will start at 7.15
15-minute introduction
30-minute screening of "Mushka"
45-minute presentation by Andreas Deja, followed by Q&A
Location: Soho Hotel
Reception: Join us at a nearby pub for a small reception after the event, where you can mingle with fellow animation enthusiasts and share your thoughts on this remarkable directorial debut. Pub TBC
Don't miss this chance to witness the magic of hand-drawn animation and hear from a true Disney legend. Reserve your spot today and immerse yourself in the world of "Mushka," brought to life by the incomparable Andreas Deja.
Synopsis:
"Told in exquisite and stylish hand-drawn animation by director/animator Andreas Deja, one of the modern masters of the art form and a Disney Legend, 'Mushka' is the emotional and exciting story of a young girl named Sarah and her unlikely friendship with a tiger cub. The film is Deja’s directorial debut.
The story begins in Kyiv where Sarah is living with her grandmother, but soon shifts to the harsh wintery landscape of a Siberian mining camp where she is sent to live with the father she has never known. It’s a rude awakening for the girl who is uprooted from the comforts of the city to the hardships of life in the frozen, barren tundra. Life there is unwelcoming for Sarah, who disobeys her father’s orders and ventures outside the boundaries of the compound, where she encounters a tiger cub and his protective mother. Startled by the adult animal, Sarah is carried safely back to camp by the mother tiger, who pays the ultimate sacrifice for her maternal act of kindness. Sarah adopts the orphaned tiger and names him Mushka. She pleads with her father to let her raise the cub, and he reluctantly gives in. Over time, Sarah and Mushka bond and become inseparable friends, but the cub quickly grows into an adult tiger who still possesses natural animal instincts. Sarah is also befriended by Alex, a teenage worker at the camp who looks out for her and develops feelings for her and Mushka.
When some of the greedy miners realize the value of a grown tiger skin, they conspire to win Mushka in a rigged card game from Sarah’s inebriated father. She and Alex race to save Mushka from the mercenaries, leading to the film’s intense action-packed conclusion.
'Mushka' features an original score (recorded in Vienna with a 60-piece orchestra) by composer Fabrizio Mancinelli and a new original song by the legendary Academy Award®-winning songwriter Richard M. Sherman ('Mary Poppins,' 'The Jungle Book,' among many others)."
ANDREA DEJA
About Andreas Deja:
Andreas Deja's journey to becoming a Disney animator is a tale of determination and passion. Born in Poland and raised in Germany, Deja fell in love with Disney animation after watching "The Jungle Book" and wrote to the studio at the tender age of 10. Despite initial setbacks, his persistence paid off, and at the age of 23, he began his career at Disney. Deja's impressive resume includes work on iconic Disney films such as "The Black Cauldron," "The Great Mouse Detective," "Oliver & Company," and "Beauty and the Beast," where he animated the memorable character Gaston. He continued to leave his mark on Disney animation with supervising roles on characters like Jafar in "Aladdin" and Scar in "The Lion King."
